In this compact volume, Kenneth L. Shropshire confronts prominent racial
myths head-on, offering both a descriptive history of and prescriptive
solutions for the most pressing problems currently affecting sports.
Interestingly, Shropshire reveals how sports were once much less
segregated than they later became - after white players and owners felt
threatened by the presence and abilities of black competitors. In the
insular world of sport, characterized by a feeder system through which
former players often move up to become coaches, managers, executives,
and owners, blacks are eminently qualified. For example, after decades
of active involvement with their sport, they often bring to the table
experiences more relevant to the black players who make up the majority
of professional athletes. Given the centrality of sport in American
life, it is imperative that the industry be a leader, not a laggard, in
the arena of racial equality. Informed by Frederick Douglass's belief
that "power concedes nothing without a demand, " In Black and White
casts its net widely, dissecting claims of colorblindness and reverse
racism as self-serving, rhetorical camouflage and scrutinizing
professional and collegiate sports, sports agents, and owners alike. No
mere polemic, however, the volume looks optimistically forward,
outlining strategies of interest to all those who have a stake,
professional or otherwise, in sports and racial equality.
